Down Is The New Up

Nirvana - Nevermind. 20 years on.

2011-09-25T13:44:00.004+10:00

Today it is 20 years since the release of Nevermind

20 years ago I had my mind blown by this album.
I had heard Bleach, a friend had it, but I think it was a bit raw for my tastes.
I was into metal about then.
anyway, along came Nevermind - WOW.

This changed music for me and just about everyone else.

Very very special.

To think there are teens and adults getting around today who have no idea about Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, Nevermind and the way the world went absolutely fucking bonkers 20 years ago.

Anyway i cant say much more than has already been said, except that this album holds a special place in my heart.

This is the whole classic albums doco on this album.
Take the time - you wont be disappointed.

A rocking Friday Afternoon. Have a listen.

2011-09-02T15:34:00.001+10:00

Stumbled across this awesome LA singer songwriter Hanni El Khatib.

Today he just might be favourite artist in the world. Perfect day for these tunes.

A little excited....

2011-08-31T21:28:00.002+10:00

Explosions in the sky just announced a tour of Australia this December.

If you are regular reader here, no doubt you have probably heard them mentioned once.
or twice. or 427 times.

I don't think i have been this excited since the first time I saw Tool - about 1996.

Playing The Forum in Melbourne - I could not think of a better venue.

So whose coming?

Explosions In The Sky 2011 Australian Tour Dates
Thursday December 8 – Forum Theatre, Melbourne
Tickets: Ticketmaster – 1300 111 011 or ticketmaster.com.au
Sunday December 11 – The Metro, Sydney
Tickets: handsometours.com; Metro Box Office or (02) 9550 3666; ticketek.com.au or 132 849
Tuesday December 13 – The Hi Fi, Brisbane
Tickets: handsometours.com; thehifi.com.au

Open your mind and your ears

2011-08-26T15:28:00.000+10:00

Not rage in me today.
Just blogging, listening, follow me......

Looking for new music, different music?
Just something?

A few ideas. This is where I started.

Loving this song more than anything else in the world right now.
Not new but none the less brilliant.

And old fave

and another

65daysofstatic

a classic that kicked off a genre

if thats not to your liking, looking to kick the weekend off with something more upbeat.

try

Why? I dont know?

That led me to this.
fuck i love this beat. You tube dont do it justice.

and i was talking about this during the week

which led me to this

then back to something with guitars

and iggy always leads to bowie....... but lets go via Lour Reed & the Velvet Underground

yeah! see what i did there?

and I might finish on this.

Any Ideas?
Hope so.
Open your mind.
Try something different.

An Open Letter To David Bowie – Please Don’t Retire

2011-08-20T15:22:00.000+10:00

Dear David / Dave / Bowie / Mr Jones / Ziggy / Most Noble Thin White Duke,

Please don’t retire. Not yet. It’s not your time. I know you’ve reached the pension period of your life, have been quiet of late, have a young daughter, have given us way more than pretty much any other artist since the mid sixties, and it’s your decision, but still. Don’t go just yet.

We need you more now than ever before. In the week Gaga unleashes her latest pop pastiche and the nation battens down the hatches and prepares for the four month twin onslaught of The X Factor and The X Factor US, having you around becomes even more pressingly important.

continued...

Plus also it’s just not fair. To paraphrase that great sage Lemar, if there’s any justice in the world you’d be still doing the rounds while other senior artists were calling it quits. We’d be jumping on to the Jubliee to see you at the O2 while some of your peers took a raincheck.

I first heard you when I got my hands on a generational hand-me-down of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ and from that epic opening eight minutes onward I knew I'd need to go out and get a better stereo.

It blew a teenager’s tiny mind on impact and from then on, through the album’s ‘Black Country Rock’ and ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, to the previous year’s ‘Space Oddity’, the rest of your early 70s output, the plastic soul years, Berlin trilogy and the rest of your well-documented diverse and near-flawless career, I was all kinds of smitten.

It almost goes without saying how essential you’ve been over the last five decades, laughing at the notion of boundaries, turning your talents to glam, disco, soul, ambient, jazz and practically any other sound, showing us how pop can be truly transformational, giving us over 15 properly great albums, Labyrinth and Duncan Jones but most of all an escape from the humdrum. Even when you got it wrong you got it wrong for the right reasons – taking risks that usually paid off but could be forgiven when they didn’t.

One of your biographers reckons you'd only come back if you think you could deliver something that will be seismic. We have faith. Of all the performers operating near the twilight ends of their careers you’ve got the best form, right up to the last decade – as your work with Arcade Fire, Scarlett Johansson and TV On The Radio will attest.

And even if you came back with another ‘Reality’ or ‘Heathen’ – sturdy, reliable rock with a Bowie twist – that would be OK. As NME wrote of the latter back in 2002, “even at [your] most self-referential, you’re still a zillion times more inventive, brave and rocket-to-Mars brilliant than anyone who's been prodded by the ubiquitous genius stick, ever.”

As a man who missed the Led Zeppelin and Cream reunions but was lucky enough to see The Who while John Entwistle was still running through five minute bass solos halfway through the set, I know the value of the last chance saloon. And as someone who’s endured recent Pistols and Buzzcocks gigs, I know I should be careful what I wish for. Some nagging feeling tells me you’d pull it off though, avoiding the nostalgic pitfalls and tired rehashes others succumb to, coming across more Johnny Cash than Bob Dylan.

If nothing else, could we cheekily ask for one last greatest hits tour, for me and the likes of the guy who writes the awesome blog Down is The New up, who is yet to see you live, like innumerable other big Bowie fans.

Here’s hoping your retirement is as brief as this one, and we see you on a stage soon.

note - this was shamelessly stolen from NME and reproduced for my entertainment.

Album Review - Watch the throne.

2011-08-15T21:42:00.000+10:00

So Kanye and Jay-Z have released what the music media mega fawns say is the most anticipated album of the year. Originally it was going to be a 5 track EP, then they announce a full length album.

Released a few teasers.

Now I have it.......

Watch the Throne.

Yeah that's the cover. Its a bit in your face over the top glitz and glamour bling kind of thing. Trying too hard. Like it was designed by a fucking fashion designer or something. Oh wait. It was.
But I'm no fashion critic. I'm a music critic. Or am I?
This is the internet - I'm whatever I want to be. Today I wear two hats.
The album cover is shite. The name of the album. Shite.
Has not started well. Hope the music lives up to the hype

A bit of history.
So I'm a big Kanye fan. Or was. Well am again. Sort of.....

Once upon a time I apologised to Kanye for slagging off his My Beautiful Dark twisted Fantasy (apology / review - here) Anyway, crux is - I miss the young Kanye. The guy who produced his own songs, who broke new ground, who changed the game, fearless. The guy who used samples - not synthesisers on his first 2 albums. Then he went all synth on Graduation, then even worse on 808s with autotune & synths.
Then sort of redeemed himself on MBDTF.
Fuck I hate synthesisers. and autotune.
Jay-Z I really think is over rated. Sure he has the Platinum Albums, street cred and approximately $650 million more dollars than me, owns an NBA team, record labels and has 11 US number 1 albums. But im just not the biggest fan. Except some of the stuff that Kanye produced.
So......
with that in mind I' m thinking this could be good.

After a week of on and off listening, i locked myself away with the headphones for a few hours and this is what I got.

1. No Church in the Wild Featuring Frank Ocean
Cool riff opens, synth over the top (not too bad, i can handle it) Jay-Z does his thing, then the auto tune. Jeezus i hate autotune. Almost kills the song. Kanye comes in, tell us how a "line of coke on black skin is a stripe like a zebra", he "calls that jungle fever."
meh. Just a song.

2. Lift Off Featuring Beyonce.
Its a fucking Beyonce song! I hate Beyonce. I hate Autotune and I hate Synthesisers. And I hate Beyonce.
Fuck me. I thought Jay-Z sang about the "Death of Autotune" last year. wish it was the death of Beyonce. So Beyonce sings, the other two some shit rapping in between.
So anyway....... dont like this song.

3. Niggas in Paris.
Hmmm. Sounds like a Jay Z song. basic beats. Even the sample dialogue from Blades of Glory cant save this, except to explain the title -

"I dont even know what that means"
"No one knows what it means, but its provocative"

Abd that sums it up - a waste of time.

4. Otis Featuring Otis Redding.
The first song on the Album produced by Kanye. And the first good song on the Album. Surprise? No!
Sampling a guy that died 45 years ago is NOT featuring. Its sampling.
Yeah but i like the beat, the sample, the lyric.
Good song. (finally!)

5. Gotta Have It.
Produced by the Neptunes and Kanye. A song that almost gets there. Sounds like a Jay Z song featuring Kanye West produced by the Neptunes and Kanye. Oh wait it is.

6. New Day.
Opens with autotune of Nina Simone singing "its a new day" - not a great start. So Kanye and Jay rap about what they would do say teach their kids. oh heart warming.
But ultimately a shite song.

7. Thats' my Bitch.
Apart from the overtly mysoginistic overtones here, I like this song. Not least because of the sample of Public Enemy's "Brothers gonna work it out." (well really its a James Brown sample but it sounds distinctly PE to me) Nice female vocal, good flow from both. Produced by Kanye.

8. Welcome to the Jungle.
God this is terrible. A bad Jay- Z song produced by Swizz Beatz Who? Mr Alicia Keys.Even name checks Axl Rose. Yeah just bad. Corny.

9. Whos Gon Stop me.
Christ it sounds like a Rick Astley remix with some distorted Jay Z shit over the top.
Now they are taking the piss.

10. Murder to Excellence.
Yeah - this starts good. real good. Good sample, good beats, good rapping from the two. Then it changes halfway. Oh thats 2 songs? Murder & excellence. How trite. But we get the 1st sample on a 45 speed. Hey wait! Thats Kanyes - he invented that shit and he is not even producing this song. Homage. I don't know.
A decent song.

11. Made in America featuring Frank Ocean.
What the fuck.

Sweet King Martin
Sweet Queen Coretta
Sweet Brother Malcolm
Sweet Queen Betty
Sweet Mother Mary
Sweet Father Joseph, Sweet Jesus
We made it in America
Sweet Baby Jesus, ooooh
oh sweet baby Jesus
We made it in America
Oh, Sweet Baby Jesus, We made it in America
Sweet Baby Jesus, ooooh
Oh, Sweet Baby Jesus, We made it in America

Yeah.
That is bad. real bad.
This album is now nothing more than a piss take designed to see which hangers on in the media will rate it.

12. Why I love You.
CLEARLY a Kanye West production. Sounds like a Jay Z song of course, but a reprieve. Maybe they thought if we put it last they will forget the other shit?

So then they decided to give us some bonus tracks.......

13. Illest Motherfucker Alive.
I does not start until 3 minutes in - thats annoying. And its just a song.

14. H.A.M
The single they released 6 months ago and it does not make it on the album. Says a lot! its fairly ordinary. Uptempo fast beat. oh who am i kidding. its bad.

15. Primetime
Starts well, like the beat and sample.but it ultimately does nothing........ just peters out...........

16. The Joy featuring Curtis Mayfield.
The last of the Bonus tracks. Bonus tracks on a shit album are you guessed it - shit.

In Summary.

Dont believe the hype.

I loved Kanye. He produces his own work. Jay Z - he doesn't I have no love for him.
So when you put the two together and hire a whole heap of producers and about 27 different writers?
You get a mish mash of shit. There are maybe 3 good songs on the album.
I genuinely like Curtis, Thats My Bitch and Why I love you.
Murder to Excellence & gotta Have it get a pass mark.

WAIT......

They were going to do a 5 track EP originally you say?
Shit - those 5 tracks I just said i liked - that would have been a killer EP.
But they got their egos involved and their wives and all of their friends and went and fucked it up for everyone.

A mark out of 10?

If we just take the 12 album tracks - And I like 3, dont mind 2 others, we get to 5 out of 12 which equates to 4.1 when scaled to 10. But that's simplistic.

Watch the Throne - 4.5 / 10

If you want to read more heaped on this - here is my favourite review - http://rapsandhustles.com/2011/08/11/ghostface-killah-watch-the-throne-album-review/

Wake Up.

2011-08-02T12:50:00.000+10:00

This beautiful song was the opening track from the only record by Mad Season, a collaboration between members of three big Seattle bands Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Screaming Trees.

Barrett Martin, Layne Staley, John Baker Saunders and Mike McCready produced a exemplary album in 1994 that is especially haunting given the subject matter and the subsequent deaths of Staley & Saunders.

I love this song.
enjoy.

Amy.

2011-07-24T08:41:00.000+10:00

Amy Winehouse dead at 27. No surprise there really, but sad none the less.

Beautiful voice. Crazy life.
I hope they remember her for her voice.

and we can remember back when she was fresh faced..........

New Kanye West & Jay-Z Song - OTIS - first listen.

2011-07-21T13:40:00.002+10:00

Jay-Z and Kanye West are back with another track from their much anticipated upcoming album Watch The Throne. "Otis" samples Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness"

Watch the Throne is out August 1

Im not really feeling the the love here - Kanye is one of the greatest producers in the world, but this sounds like it was whipped up on the fly. Jay-Z tells us “I guess I got my swagger back… truth” - ah no. not with lines like that.

Let me know what you think, maybe you will think more of it than I do.

Then again it took 6 months for me to come around to "My beautiful dark twisted fantasy......"

2 things you may have missed..........

2011-07-20T19:06:00.000+10:00

Radiohead’s show at Glastonbury from June 24.

The band played a surprise show at the Glastonbury Festival on June 24. The show was not broadcast by the BBC, but 34 people shared their footage and James Clarke put it all together.

Radiohead – The King Of Limbs: Live From The Basement

We’ve been waiting for this one for quite some time, but here it is in full. Radiohead performing their latest album ‘The King Of Limbs’ in full.

This was Broadcast on Canal+ last week - you can see the band, including Clive Deamer and additional musicians, perform the 8 tracks from The King Of Limbs, as well as Staircase and The Daily Mail. Enjoy! Also, you can download all mp3′s via Soundcloud, Mediafire or Sendspace.

Brilliant Song. Brilliant Video.

2011-07-20T16:16:00.001+10:00

I just heard about the first ever official video by one of my favourite bands Explosions in the Sky. Brilliant song of their new Album "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care"

Love the video clip - and the song.

"Last Known Surroundings"
Written & Performed by Explosions in the Sky
Directed by Ptarmak
Illustration: Sissy Emmons
Animation: David Hobizal
Addt'l Artistry: JR Crosby, Luke Miller, Zach Ferguson
Ben Hansen, Christy Carroll, Annie Mayfield
Addt'l 3D: Josh Johnson

Last Known Surroundings from Explosions in the Sky on Vimeo.

A picture is worth 1000 words.

2011-07-16T13:40:00.000+10:00

I love this photo. It is absolute gold.
Taken by Mick Rock in 1972.
Bowie, Iggy & Lou Reed.
Mick Ronson in the background as always.

Well things evolve and this blog aint about Albums alone anymore. The big long sprawling posts are not sustainable so I have moved to a more regular but none less thought out plan.

A music blog.
Simple huh?

Changes.
Made me think of Bowie. Ch ch ch Changes

Change is coming........

2011-07-16T12:37:00.000+10:00

I started this blog as a response to the ever growing degeneration of the album as an art form. Kids and their single song mp3 downloads. Artists responding by not making complete albums, just 3 singles and some filler.
That and getting asked all the time by others what I was listening to & what could i recommend.

Well things evolve and this blog aint about Albums alone anymore. The big long sprawling posts are not sustainable so I have moved to a more regular but none less thought out plan.

A music blog.

Simple huh?

So coming soon, a relaunch, with a new name.
Down is The New Up.

same shit - different package.
Details to follow

Pink Floyd - Meddle

2011-05-11T18:01:00.000+10:00

Everyone owns Dark Side of the Moon. Well, everyone SHOULD own dark side of the moon. That is a dead set given. What music fan, of sane and rational mind, does not own Dark Side of the Moon? I guess what I am trying to say is that if you don't own Dark Side of the Moon - you are not a music fan. You probably should not read on. What are you doing here in the first place?? Music stores (traditional and online) should have the facility to check your back catalogue before letting you buy any new album.

Something like this:

'We see that you do not own Dark Side of the Moon'
'iTunes is sorry to inform you that your account will now be disabled'
'Alternatively click here to purchase Dark Side of the Moon now'

But they don't. - Unfortunately.
So if you dont own Dark Side of the Moon....GET *you can probably catch the drift of what i'm thinking. Alternatively, buy it, dedicate years of your life listening to it. Then come back. You will be a better person for it. You would think this is an entry for DSOTM. Well it sort of is, every entry is, everyone owes everything to DSOTM, every single thing that happened in the world post 1973, music or otherwise is becasue of, or in spite of Dark Side of The Moon. Everything.

Christ almighty, I have finally got that off my chest (small rant, sorry, happens sometimes).
Climbs down off my somewhat conceited moral ground. Hop off the high horse and begins....

Anyway I digress, every man woman, child and beast who has ears should (or i can assume by now does) own Dark Side of the Moon - but they may not own Meddle. Meddle seems to be the forgotten Pink Floyd masterpiece.

In 1971 Pink Floyd were somewhere between the psychedelia and madman musings of Sid Barrett of 'A Saucer Full of Secrets' and the critical acclaim, wealth and status brought about by 'Dark Side of the Moon'. (we discussed that above - remember?) They had been the darlings of the London psychedelic underground, expelled their singer and lyric writer (Barrett), composed a film score/soundtrack (More) released the experimental double album Ummagumma (one side a live recording, the other a composition by each member) that along with the brilliance of Astronomy Divine, Careful with Axe Eugene and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun also included one of the best song titles of all time: 'Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict'. The album 'Atom Heart Mother' followed which was an experiment in quadraphonic sound before the band came to 1971 with no clear direction and nothing written. They entered the studio to write and record, experimented and came up with - Meddle - a masterpiece.

The artwork deserves a mention - The image on the cover represents an ear, underwater, collecting waves of sound represented by ripples in the water. Storm Thorgerson was the designer of course, along with 10 other Pink Floyd Album covers. Unfortunately you dont see anyone with this on T-Shirt. (I did have one once upon a time.)

One of these days opens. A pounding bass line - 2 bass guitars together, building, pulsing, engaging, frightening, and suspenseful. A massive instrumental aside from Nick Mason making his vocal debut with......

"One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces!!"

..........which slams the song into overdrive. Pounding drums and stinging slide guitar dominate for the next two minutes until nothing but wind remains. It is an energising start but ends calmly and progresses into the gorgeous ballad, A Pillow Of Winds. Made up of acoustic guitars and sparse bass, this is a beautiful floating piece that takes advantage of Gilmour's tranquil vocals. It serves as a respite from the carnage of On of these days. Into "Fearless" is a mid-tempo track featuring David Gilmour playing an ascending riff which gives a slight symphonic atmosphere again, just well crafted & beautiful. That opening riff gets me dizzy, the vocals are heavenly, and the interpolated Rogers and Hammerstein is creepy in the best way. It was my favorite Floyd song for a while, and I get a grin whenever I hear it, especially the Liverpool FC chant at the end. (of course it is Roger and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”) Onto "San Tropez" is a short, playful, elegant jazz-tinged track, with Roger Waters on lead vocals. It's quite interesting hearing Roger in a more playful mood, as opposed to the morbid tendencies found in the majority of his later writings. "Seamus" features dogs barking in the background to an otherwise bluesy track. Everyone hates this track. It probably did not need to go on, but im sure there is a good reason other than a platter full of mind altering substances.

Some people criticise this album on the strength of tracks 2,3,4,5. Not me. They are part of setting the album up. It an experiment, it starts heavy, it moves on through moods and builds - to the punch.

Echoes.

The glorious, majestic Echoes. If I could only listen to one song for the rest of my life, it might just be Echoes. It goes for 23 minutes. On the Vinyl LP it is the whole of side 2. I have probably listened to it 1000 times or more. That equates to 38 days of my life. On one song. But i don't regret it at all. Wasting my life on music? Nah spending my life with music.

Echoes is an epic, the staple of progressive music (epics, that is), and a great one at that. Probably the first truly great epic of modern music and certainly a track that defined the epic for many years. It features seven or so distinct parts, each with their own merits, and each amazing. The lyrics are simplistic, but stunning. The “official” meaning of the lyrics (as per Waters, the author) is that they are a look at humanity’s capacity for empathy. But it means so much more than that.

The first minute or so is interspersed with pinging and music in between. The pinging is created by Rick Wright plucking a de-tuned piano string. Between pings, the music starts to build, starting out as just keyboards, then with guitar coming in, then bass (only in the background), and then finally Nick Mason on drums. The intro is absolutely stunning, and one of my favorite intros to any song. This lasts for about 3 minutes, when the lyrics kick in. The Lyrical content of this song is fascinating. The song has several solo sections, which is where Gilmour’s guitar and Rick Wright’s keyboards shine. About eleven minutes into the song we are introduced to the strangest and most “boring” section of the track. The wind sounds of One of These Days re-occurs here, and are complemented with screeching noises. While this is the least enjoyable section of the song, the effect that is given off is brilliant, displaying that Pink Floyd is still not afraid to go out of the box. It becomes clear around the 17-minute mark that Echoes is building to a powerful and fitting climax as Gilmour utilizes a palm muted riff and Mason is quietly beating his drums senseless. Just as you expect the track to build to something greater, you are stunned when the track returns to the beginning once again, with Gilmour and Wright singing,

“Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes, inviting and inciting me to rise.”

The lyrical effect cannot be undermined, for the message of the track is truly tragic. Gilmour and Wright's final phrase is incredible.

“And no-one sings me lullabies, And no-one makes me close my eyes, And so I throw the windows wide, And call to you across the sky.”

As the wind sounds return and the track fades out, you can help but feel awed. The band for sure had to of felt a great sense of accomplishment, for this is arguably their most underappreciated work. “Meddle” deserves to be mentioned along with the other outstanding Pink Floyd records and really marks the beginning of the band’s prime.

I'm having a Bowie day

2011-05-03T17:41:00.000+10:00

A friend gave me a copy of David Bowie Live in Santa Monica 72 the other day.

WOW

What a brilliant album and a brilliant live album more to the point.
It sounds so good, Bowie is at his peak and Mick Ronson is an animal on guitar.
He almost steals the album.

anyway, since then it has been Bowie on high rotation.

thought i would share.....

and more recently with The Arcade Fire

Ritual de Lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction

2011-04-29T13:53:00.000+10:00

Well i wanted to write a full album review on the amazing Jane's Addiction album Ritual de lo Habitual from 1990. Then i wanted to write one on their 1988 debut Nothings Shocking. I could not decide. Then i ran out of time, you know how life is. I love Jane's - one of the bands that really influenced my formative years.

So with time of the essence, the best i can do for today is a few clips, starting with the brilliant video of Been Caught Stealing. Might get a full look at the album in soon.

Great song and a video that cracks me up.

Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

and of course Classic Girl

Jane's Addiction - by Warner-Music

and then you can't have those and not listen to the albums pinnacle - Three Days.

This song blows me away every single time. I went to a music festival when Janes got back together, just to see them, did not care for anyone else. This song was a highlight.

so here is a live version

enjoy - christ knows I did!

Now hear this.

2011-04-26T12:23:00.001+10:00

NEW WHITE DENIM!!

But in case you had forgotten - 'I Start to Run' by the incomparable White Denim - From their 2009 album Fits (My #2 album for 2009 here)

One of my favourite video clips of the past few years and one of the best songs. Watch it - fantastic.

I heard it used on the TV show House the other day - got me very excited that these lads were getting some recognition.

White Denim's have new single "Drug" from their upcoming album 'D' - out May 24

Fkn ace. love it.

and seeing as you loved that song and that first video so much, another - same song, different video - brilliant again.

Half interested? Go find it - they are awesome, you will not be disappointed.

I love emails from Radiohead.

2011-04-20T13:12:00.000+10:00

Woke up this morning to ann email from Radiohead.

What a nice way to start the day:

info@waste.uk.com
to		me
date		Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 2:54 AM
subject		Thank You
mailed-by		mail.inrainbows.co.uk



	Thank you - Merci - Gracias - Grazie - Dankeschön - Obrigado - Gui lah hui te ha - Ashoge - Shukran - Tsikomo - M goi - Tak - Dank u - Vinaka - Aabhar - Köszönöm - Go raibh maith agaibh - Arigato - Tashakkur - Dziekuje - Gestena - Hvala - Tack - Tesekkür ederim - Spasibo - Dêkuji - Sas efharisto ......

	Right, that's most of you covered, apologies to those we've missed out ... ok, so here are two tracks for your listening pleasure: Supercollider and The Butcher. We released these as a limited edition 2 track 12inch vinyl to mark Independent Record Store Day last Saturday, April 16 ... so in case you missed out and didn't get a copy here they are. It's a thank you for being SO supportive of what we do ... p.s. This is not part of a new loyalty points scheme, a Radiohead clubcard or even an air miles redeemable reward type thing... It is just a big old-fashioned thank you! Hope your Spring/Autumn is good. Ed, Colin, Jonny, Philip & Thom x FYI... 'The Butcher' was recorded and mixed during 'The King of Limbs' sessions, but we couldn't make it work on the album; 'Supercollider' was started during those sessions and finished off in March of this year.

Radiohead - the band that keeps on giving.

Gushing........
again.

Hitler on TKOL 2 + Listen to Supercollider & The Butcher.

2011-04-18T13:22:00.000+10:00

Another Radiohead piece........
..........yeah sorry.

This is not a radiohead blog, but new radiohead songs rates a mention.

So i have been enjoying The Butcher and Supercollider which were released in the UK for record Store day.

So if you have not heard yet

Also on the weekend came the announcement that there would be no King of Limbs 2. There never was. Some people can handle disappointment better than others - I thought this hitler piece was brilliant.

The Universal Sigh - Supercollider & The Butcher

2011-03-31T14:00:00.000+11:00

THE UNIVERSAL SIGH

Radiohead gave away copies of their free newspaper “The Universal Sigh” at street corners around the world on Tuesday. The addresses for the give aways were listed on the paper’s website.

Short stories, poetry, and illustrations?

Unfortunately I could not find who won race 4 at Sandown yesterday or the overnight price on prok bellies from the USA. Radiohead fans only kind of thing.

Meh.

Lucky i find these things for you.

Read it here if you missed out on the Universal Sign newspaper.

but..........

What has got me excited (once again) the just announced release of:

'THE BUTCHER' AND 'SUPERCOLLIDER'

Radiohead will be releasing new singles for Record Store Day on April 16th. The two unreleased songs called Supercollider and The Butcher will both be released on Vinyl. The release is limited to 2,000 copies in the UK and Ireland, features two new tracks, The Butcher and Supercollider, the latter of which has featured in the band’s live shows.

The Track Supercollider was an unreleased track from 2008 album In Rainbows and was played on tour for the album. It won’t be available for release in Australia.

Record Store Day is held on April 16, a day where artists celebrate the art of making music by releasing special vinyl, CD and promotional products - with 2000 UK copies only, good luck.

In this instance illegal downloading is condoned. (by me anyway)

Explosions in the Sky - New Album Leaked !! (updated)

2011-03-17T16:26:00.060+11:00

I know music piracy is bad but..........

I just found a leaked copy of the forthcoming Explosions in the Sky album "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care"

Yeah - I am more than a little bit excited.

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is the sixth studio album by the American instrumental post rock band and it is to be released on 18 April 2011 in the UK, 25 April 2011 in Europe, and 26 April 2011 in the US. It is the top of my most anticipated albums for 2011 and whilst I was somewhat disappointed with one of the others I was hanging out for - Mogwai's "Hardcore will Never' die but you will" (well the title was almost adequate) - this I hold very very high hopes for.

Track listing

"Last Known Surroundings" - 8:22
"Human Qualities" - 8:10
"Trembling Hands" - 3:31
"Be Comfortable, Creature" - 8:48
"Postcard from 1952" - 7:07
"Let Me Back In" - 10:07

Now I don't want to go into a whole spiel about the ethics of downloading music, but yes, i feel a certain sense of guilt. However, i will be buying the album - especially when it comes from the artist and it is packaged like this........

(get yours from http://explosionsinthesky.com/)

I love that music retailing is changing, that artists like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have been able to pioneer a new method in retailing - of course they have the fan base and the funds to do this. Explosions in the Sky don't - so of course I will be supporting them. I love the band would love nothing more than increased exposure and financial reward. Just getting their music heard irrespective of remuneration is fine for some artists who don't oppose music piracy, however buying music straight from the artists is the way it should be.

So I'm off with my headphones for a night of aural bliss........

............and I will buy the album.

(how long does guilt take to fade?)

UPDATED.

After a week of listening - The Review..........

In a word: Brilliant

I challenge anyone to listen to Explosions in the Sky and not fall in love with the world (if you were not already). It is epic and passionate without words, a perfect encapsulation of everything that is good about the world - especially music. These emotionally dynamic compositions of soaring highs and haunting lows we have heard before, but the development of the band since their last album in 2007 is apparent here. Possibly more ambient in part than prior albums, but certainly less minimalist. Nondescript vocals appear on Trembling Hands (their shortest song ever on a studio album at three and a half minutes!, but the use of electronic loops and background noise add body and texture to the huge build ups that they craft. Layered Guitars, soaring and delicate at the same time punctuated by perfect drumming with intricate time signatures create well crafted tales, with emotions expressed instrumentally through the movements, changes, highs and lows - it is nothing short of beautiful. There is no point doing a track by track analysis - just get it and listen.

With Godspeed You! Black Emperor having been on a hiatus without an album since 2003, these guys truly are the kings of post rock. They are continuing to develop their sound and therefore the genre - and we benefit.

Explosions In The Sky from Explosions in the Sky on Vimeo.

Take Care, Take Care, Take Care from Explosions in the Sky on Vimeo.

Sunny Day Real Estate - Seven.

2011-03-15T12:58:00.000+11:00

Considering their relatively brief existence, Sunny Day Real Estate racked up enough dramatic twists and turns to rank with some of the great rock soap operas. Its members engaged in just about every rock cliché imaginable, including finding religion, refusing to work with the media, breaking up, and joining a big-name group (The Foo Fighters) and even recording an ambitious full-orchestra pop album - all before reuniting in 1997, disbanding in 2001 and again reuniting in 2010.

In my ever humble opinion, one of the most under rated bands of the 90s.

Seven - Track 1 off their 1994 Debut Album - Diary.

Enjoy.

Kanye - I'm Sorry..............

2011-03-09T18:32:00.000+11:00

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

I was less than effusive in my comments about Kanye West's 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' in my 2010 Albums of the Year entry

It went something like this

.........and you will note that there is no Kanye West here. Not because you probably own it, but because I thought my beautiful dark twisted fantasy was absolute shite. Very well (if not slightly over-) produced, but for me it does not hold a candle to his first two albums. Don't buy it. Or even steal it. Not worth it.

Well. Ahem. (*coughs, clears throat.....)

We all make mistakes don't we Kanye? Well, this is a first for me, so go easy, it is a new experience.

In light of me listening to a heap of old hip hop (Public Enemy, NWA & Wu Tang on high rotation past few weeks - results here) I thought i was in the right mindset to revisit Mr Wests 5th album and see once and for all if i could work out why music critics and publications were falling over themselves to rate this album 10 out of 10 and give it a universal album of the year tag.

Pitchfork I'm looking squarely at you. 10. Seriously?
Rolling Stone, XXL and a host of other reportedly reputable publications failed in my eyes as well.

Giving a brand new album 10 is rather pointless. Well, i suppose it serves a point, to a point that is. Giving an album 10 is saying that perfection has been achieved. Saying that every moment of the album was perfect, that there is nothing that could have been done better, no room for improvement. The reviewer loved every moment. My rateyourmusic.com page (here if you are at all interested, excuse the mess and the 1000s of missing albums) has just 25 albums rated 5 stars - in the history of music. To be fair i have not reviewed the full history of music but then again i don't think i need to. The Beatles get a few 10s, Led Zep, Radiohead. Yeah. Kanye might think he is the voice of a generation, but I'm not so sure he has scaled those lofty heights.

Giving out perfect 10s without the benefit of hindsight really only serves to generate hype in this online media age, however it also tells me that the reviewer is potentially a knobber who certainly lacks credibility.

Great artists derive a certain amount of expectation. Take Radioheads new Album The King of Limbs I was always going to get it, review it and seeing that it is Radiohead and I hold them above all others, probably love it. But when it came down to it. King of Limbs 9 out of 10. No perfection. Sad but true. When reviewing an album I really do think everyone needs to maintain a certain level of objectivity, no matter what kind of love you may have for the artist. Everyone is anonymous on the net - anonymity makes everyone a critic, or at least a reviewer with a teenage girl / Justin Beiber like love for certain artists. Reviewers encompass the positives but leave out the negative - can't see the forest for the trees. We have to separate the hype from the music, not feed the hype. The fear of being different ie. not liking Kanye, or whatever else, drives some to hype.

I'm telling it like it is.

So, my earlier comments about Kanye were possibly a little rash, however in revisiting the album many times, i can see some really good things.

The Tracks.

1. "Dark Fantasy" - Excellent. Could have done without the spoken word intro in my opinion, but a brilliant bit of work.
2. "Gorgeous" - Love it, probably my favourite track on the album, Raekwon (Wu-Tang) helps Kanye kill it.
3. "Power" - Another great hip hop track.

At this point, I think fabulous production, dark lyrics, intricate. But.......

4. "All of the Lights" (Interlude) Terrible. No Need.
5. "All of the Lights" - Things take a turn. Terrible. Heavy Auto Tune, dont like the production. Or Rhianna / Alicia Keys / Fergie.
6. "Monster" Bon Iver and Kanye? WTF i first thought. Interesting, starts well, then just ho hum from there. Meh.
7. "So Appalled" Nothing special - more ho hum. Wanted more from The RZA
8. "Devil in a New Dress" Just filler hip hop.
9. "Runaway" Yep. Fantastic. Brilliant. Wonderful. Watch the 34 minute extended film.
10. "Hell of a Life" Killer intro, not a big fan of the autotune but otherwise a good track.
11. "Blame Game" meh. Nothing.
12. "Lost in the World" I love Bon Iver. Usually. This might sell him a shit load of albums, but the song is just ordinary.
13."Who Will Survive in America" Essentially a Gil Scott Heron spoken word. pointless.

So 13 tracks - 2 are essentially interludes.
11 songs. I like the first 3, albums starts really well. Then just 2 others have merit.

Artists invariably suffer from comparison to their past works.
Kanye is a genius producer turned MC / hip hop mega star. Would Jay - Z be where he is without Kanyes production on the Blueprint in 2001? Probably, although he would only be filthy stinking rich instead of filthy stinking rich Billionaire.

Kanye used to sample heavily - yeah, no denying I loved that. He has always used string arrangements and that I love as well. The use of guitar is very evident on MDBTF. Lyrically he has always been very interesting, but i cant help but feel MDBTF is just KanyeEminem whining about how poor he is, then when he is rich & famous how hard it is to be - rich & famous. Poor guy. blah blah blah. Lyrically it is good, really good - that i cant knock. But singing? With Autotune? Artists change & evolve, its not always for the better. Just because its Kanye you don't have to give him a 10 what do you do if you like the next album more? eleventeen?

The College Dropout (2004) Insanely awesome and thoroughly mind blowing. A catalyst in the step away from Gangsta Rap with wonderful lyrics about life. Brilliant samples, use of guests, insanely good production. WOW. Changed the Game.
9 out of 10.

Late Registration (2005) Continues where The College Dropout left off, with more commercial merit. Kayne becomes a superstar with songs such as Gold Digger & Touch the Sky. Cant have enough superlatives here.
9 out of 10.

Graduation (2007) Mega Star Kayne delivers an overly produced synth heavy unspectacular 3rd album.
7 out of 10.

808s and Heartbreak (2009) Terrible. Autotune & Synth. Horrible.
4 out of 10.

and this..........

My Dark Beautiful twisted Fantasy (2010)
7 out of 10.
70%. That's about it. Basically on the strength of 5 songs.
It is a huge grandiose album, it is obviously very personal, and emotive to him. A lot of work obviously went in - but it just seems overblown. Lyrically, it is stunning in parts, very serious. He has packed all his weird and wonderful shit he has got up to (read: material) over the past 18 months into this.
But that don't make an album great.

This album does not have ANYTHING on The College Dropout and Late Registration. Nothing.
Not lyrically, not in production and arrangements, not in delivery.

The old Kanye is gone, no more rapping, no catchy as hell samples, no awesome guests - instead it is Kanye with autotune and with that Kanye has just become another hip hop artist - albeit lyrically superior. Gone is the man who inspired an entire generation of artists to step their game up

This blog is about albums - I love albums, complete albums. It's is becoming a lost art.
You cant call a few good songs on an album a perfect album.

Lets hope the slated 2011 album 'Watch the Throne' is an improvement.

Sorry Kanye - I was wrong. Its worth having - but its not a 10. Not at all.

Two of the best...

2011-03-05T16:04:00.005+11:00

On todays Menu - Two Legendary Hip Hop Albums from 1988

Not much good came out of the 80s. I know many will refute that, but the 80s is a musical wasteland - for the larger part. Some good stuff, some highly influential stuff, sure. It is a rash generalisation and of course there are examples, but for the most part ordinary. Mainstream music from the 1980s? Now that was a define wasteland. If you were into 80s music in the 80s - i hope you have moved on by now.

However there were some shining beacons - the underground world of hip hop was starting to get recognition with artists such as grandmaster Flash, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys.

Then in 1988 hip hop & music changed forever..............

N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton.

"you are about to witness the strength of street knowledge"

It does not matter how many listens I give this album, I press play and Dr Dre announces that first line - I just know i am about to hear something special.

"Straight Outta Compton" was probably not the first Gangsta Rap Album, but it created a revolution in hip hop and perhaps gave birth to the sub- genre of gangsta rap. Either way it has come to epitomise the genre and influenced countless others to follow in their footsteps. In 1988 hip-hop was barely a blip on the musical radar - this album was put it very much front and center and not just from an artistic point of view, it redefined hip hop and through the next decade gangsta rap would enjoy huge popularity. The FBI sent a letter to the bands record label advising them that "advocating violence and assault is wrong and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action." this of course just drew more attention. The Album became the first to ever go platinum without radio airplay and they were largely banned from touring. Some stores would not sell the album with the song "Fuck tha Police" on it - rather than editing the song, the censored version of the album did not feature the song at all. In 1989, Australian radio station Triple J had been playing "Fuck tha Police" for up to six months, before gaining the attention of Australian Broadcasting Corporation management who subsequently banned it. As a reaction the staff went on strike and put N.W.A's "Express Yourself" on continuous play for 24 hours, playing it roughly 360 times in a row.

The stories held within are frightening, and riveting; thought provoking and unapologetic. Main members, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and Eazy-E, paint a vivid picture of L.A.'s rough Compton ghetto. You really feel the empathy of the life that they live through their brutally honest delivery of pain, anger and the need to be heard. The lyrical content provides powerful images of poverty, guns, violence, police, women and more violence. It is rough, raw, misogynistic, homophobic and whatever other negative labels you want to stick to it.

The album is completely fearless - this is part of the beauty of it. These guys were young when it came out, Ice Cube and MC Ren were just 19 and the others in their early 20s. N.W.A. was a super group of Rap/Hip-Hop's greatest talent before any of them had become known. Ice Cube and Dr Dre are legendary. Even at a very young age, it is apparent that all five were first rate producers, rappers, and lyricists, as each song possesses an infectious groove and a catchy beat. Lyrically it was so confrontational and so explicit for the time that it is hard imagine when compared to much of the content in modern rap. This was like the sex pistols and punk a decade earlier - only young black and angry.

It is not all killing and swearing though, the record sounds insanely fresh and perfect; which is quite a feat, since production value in hip-hop has come a long way since 1988. It highlights what would become apparent over the next 20 years and that is Dr Dre's production mastery. The beats and samples are are funky, innovative, well crafted and most importantly, they serve as a perfect template for their engrossing lyrical flows. The raw samples used tend to provide the perfect atmosphere for all the anger and rebellion featured on this album. Ice Cube's nitty-gritty lyricism and acute observations of society are most impressive. His richly detailed storytelling will captivate Their is a fair amount of comic relief, mainly by the playful Easy-E to balance out the record, especially once the sheer confrontation of the first few tracks is dealt with.

This album was one of the first rap albums to cross into white middle class suburbia - Whether it was the shock value, the profanity, the controversy cause by songs like Fuck tha Police - im not sure. Long before rap artists that grew up in middle class families created a gangsta persona and acted to suit, long before eminem came along, these guys were hardcore and just rapping about what they knew. They changed the game.

Straight Outta Compton" is an angry, raw and beautifully crafted masterpiece.

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

Also released in 1988 was the seminal album from East Coast hip hip group Public Enemy. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back has been regarded by music writers and publications as one of the most significant albums of the 1980s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all-time. The work has been hailed for its production techniques as well as the socially and politically-charged lyricism of lead MC Chuck D.

Almost the rap antithesis of NWA, Public Enemy have eloquent raps not about violence & sexism, but empowerment, self-respect, and self-determination. Artists such as Run D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys, had shown that hip-hop could expand its sound and be more than a passing fad, Public Enemy showed that hip-hop could also be a voice for the black community and its social and political concerns. Intense, angry, militant, political, thoughtful and creative all apply to this album. I'm no proponent of black radicalism, however I definitely admire the intelligence and innovation that went into this recording. If NWA were like the Sex Pistols, then PE were The Clash and the Dead Kennedys. Powerful stuff.

Chuck D is lyrical master - the content is very thought-provoking, eloquent and has some downright quotable expressions of righteous indignation at the American prison system, pop culture "values," the inner-city drug epidemic, the federal government, the media and the education system - among other things. A far cry from today's common topics of "bling and bitches," that's for sure. Flavor Flav, a far cry from the caricature he now portrays on MTV reality shows, provides the perfect foil for Chuck. Hyper-active, abrasive and wild, he underscores all of Chuck D's statements like an exclamation point with humorous rhymes thrown in between Chuck D.'s venom.

Aside from Chuck D and Flavor Flav, it was the Bomb Squad (Hank and Keith Shocklee, and Eric Sadler) who put PE on the map. The Bomb squad were the producers and along with the mayhem of Terminator X on the turntables, they created a furious mixture of whistles, whines, and noise over dense samples, scratches and beats - an unmistakable sound. Constantly self-referencing, the music here is dense and complex, adding to the epic feel of the album. They sample widely, the album includes spoken word from Malcolm X & Louis Farrakhan and music from luminaries such as James Brown, Kool and The Gang, Parliament, Funkadelic, Run DMC, The Jackson 5, Isaac Hayes, Bob Marley, Salt-n-Peppa, they even sample thrash metal icons Slayer and of course they sample themselves. As a whole, the group was way ahead of it's time. Boldly putting out their political views and attacking the media, PE was also unfairly attacked in the press portrayed as anti-semetic and anti-white.

Bring The Noise, Don't Believe The Hype (practically an anti-media anthem), Louder Than A Bomb, Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos (could be one of the best song titles ever!), Prophets Of Rage, Party For Your Right To Fight...all classic hip-hop. To all those who think Eminem & 50-cent are "thought-provoking" or "original" I'd advise you to pick this up and experience the real thing.

Multiple listens reveal more and more of what Public Enemy has embedded into this startling effort. Any fan of hip-hop who doesn't own this album needs to, as does any fan of music who has dismissed hip-hop as anything less than a vibrant art form.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These two albums changed hip hop, they changed music. You could argue that they were instrumental in bringing a sub culture to the surface. Both albums are fearless, intelligent, thought provoking and overall an integral part of your collection.

The King of Limbs.

2011-02-19T12:45:00.005+11:00

The New Radiohead album is here!
First Listen & review.

Woke up and downloaded my high quality .wav file this morning.
Very excited.
Nervous.
Waited almost 50 minutes for the download.
Anticipation builds even more......

Finally!

A little disappointed at the lack of formatting of the files, for the princely sum of £9 I thought they could have attached all the relevant info to the files. But really, it took 5 minutes. Slight gripe....

Track Listing.

1. "Bloom" 5:15
2. "Morning Mr Magpie" 4:41
3. "Little by Little" 4:27
4. "Feral" 3:13
5. "Lotus Flower" 5:01
6. "Codex" 4:47
7. "Give Up the Ghost" 4:50
8. "Separator" 5:20
Total length: 37:34

Just prior to the release Radiohead posted this on their blog - the video for 'Lotus Flower' the 1st single.

Its effing brilliant. But then again it is Radiohead - so would we expect any less?

1. Bloom - An almost eccentric start to the album. Seemingly offbeat drums beats collide, background beeps abound, piano, orchestral ambiance and with a jazzy undercurrent courtesy of that staccato drumbeat a jazz like bass line. Thom Yorke sounds ominous as he broods about “what keeps me alive”. Odd but inviting. 5/4 timing again. nuts (see music for my funeral entry) I love it.

2. Morning Mr Magpie - Almost African style drums with a UK dubstep / odd timing beat again. Guitars flash in and out, muted. Ominous bass by Greenwood. Ordered Chaos? Yorke menacing: “Good morning Mr Magpie / How are we today?” and later accusing him "you stole it all / Give it Back / You took my Melody"

3. Little By Little - fantastic guitar interplay between Radiohead’s two guitarists, underpinned by a tumbling, falling drumbeat and again a fantastic bass line. Parts of the guitar might have been reversed - Come the chorus the song feels like its being pulled back in reverse. Buddhist monk like humming. Oh. Wow. Could be my favourite.

4. Feral - Almost instrumental. More ambient dubstep / African sort of style. Intense drumming - & a killer bass line again.

5. Lotus Flower - See video above. First Single. has been around for a while, played live by Yorke solo and with Atoms for Peace. More 'traditional' kind of Radiohead if there is such a thing. The album comes down a notch in intensity. Yorkes floating vocals amid a spacious ambient grove with streamled bleeps, loops and heavy bass pulses giving it a sound circa amnesiac. Hand claps throughout. "There's an empty space inside my heart" Beautiful.

6. Codex - A Ballad perhaps. Gentle muted electronic drum, sensitive piano. Floating again, swirling echos. A vocal performance that could melt your heart. "no one gets Hurt" Post apocalyptic? Brilliant.

7. Give Up The Ghost - Was a song that Yorke played solo last year. He starts and the rest of the band slowly join. Acoustic guitar with strings and horns. slowly builds as the rest of the band join. “Don’t heart me” he sings. Everything about it is gentle, serene; starts with chirping birds - like the start of a new day.

8. Separator - Once again a more traditional track. Nice percussion with a gentle bass line. the song builds, guitars join halfway through, quiet but building, accompanied by swirling harmonics. Understated Climax - I feel numb. Happy Numb.

Telling line.
"If you think this is over the you are wrong."

Very interesting considering that the Deluxe edition will include 2 x vinyl albums. There is only 8 songs lasting 35 odd minutes. You need more than that for 4 sides of music.
The last song called Separator. hmmmm.

More to come?

------------

At first i though Is that all? Just eight tracks?

But that initial disappointment dissipates with each listen as the overall design becomes clearer.

The two 'sides' are apparent. Tracks 1-4 differ greatly from 5-8. Starts intense, then comes down. Starts almost Radiohead remixed by a Dubstep producer, then into that more traditional sound. The Chaos and then the order. The storm and then the calm.....

It is subtle with very sparing, sparse use of guitar. Instead keyboard loops give a airy, ambient feel. Lots of elecronica and underpinned by a fantastic rhythm section with drum and bass again often understated, but intricate and driving. Echoing vocals. It is very digital. Very different - but that's what we expect from Radiohead. They have constantly evolved and have driven the evolution of music. That continues.

A friend just said it to me best - "My ears just had sex".

And now back to the beginning and dig even deeper.
As with any Radiohead album, it’s something The King of Limbs truly deserves

Do you love your ears?

------------
UPDATE
Ok, i have had it 48 hours and listened to The King of Limbs album in its entirety probably 14 or 15 times now.
Tragic, i know.
I stand by my above comments.

But I will add these two points.
1) Get the wav file, not the mp3. I got both and the sound is markedly superior (as you would expect) on the wav file. is - give it some headphone time. Which leads me to
2) - Headphones. Listen to it on headphones. Get the high quality file, get good headphones (not the crappy ones that came with our iPod). Fn mind blowing.

...............and i found that .wav files don't support meta info (like artist & album name etc). Prehaps they should have chosen .flac files if they wanted to do high quality well. But hey - I suppose we wait for the CD and vinyl.